Black Lives Matter Activists Gather Outside New York Fashion Week

Black Lives Matter Activists Gather Outside New York Fashion Week

As New York Fashion Week Men’s begins to wind down, it’s hard to ignore the lack of attention the fashion industry has given the recent shootings and issues of police brutality affecting our country. But truly, this comes as no real surprise, considering the industry has faced ongoing criticism for its lack of diversity.

On Tuesday morning, Black Lives Matter activists gathered outside Skylight Clarkson Square—NYFWM’s hub—to bring attention to the industry’s silence on issues affecting Black men and women. Protesters all wore shirts that read the names of those killed by police—some with the demand, “Stop Killing Us,” printed across the front.

A photo posted by David Yi (@seoulcialite) on Jul 12, 2016 at 8:01am PDT

Fashion Editor Hannah Stoudemire led the movement, and told Mashable it all started with a series a texts and emails she sent out, after feeling like her co-workers in the industry usually ignore these pressing issues. “This epidemic cannot be ignored,” she said. “There’s no one in this country that can ignore this. I’m a Black woman. That comes first for me before any status or kind of popularity or opinions people have of me. This is about humanity.”

Since then, the CFDA has spoken up on Instagram, as a reminder that Black Lives Matter.